Regulator for furnaces.



H. F. QUIOKEL. v REGULATOR FOR PURNAGES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16, 1911.

1,045,610, Patented N0v.'26, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.,wAsHlNuToN, D. c.

H. P. QUIGKEL. REGULATOR FOR FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16,1911 4 10 Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[NVENTOR WITNESS CDLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,\VA5HINGTDN. n c.

HENRY F. QUICKEL, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

REGULATOR FOR FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

Application filed January 16, 1911. Serial No. 602,955.

'10 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. QUroKEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Regulators for Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to draft regulating mechanism for furnaces, and is more particularly designed for use in connection with steam boiler furnaces for steam heating for the purpose of regulating the pressure in the boiler, although the invention is not to be considered as limited to this use.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide improved regulating mechanism which will positively and automatically control the pressure in a boiler or the like irrespective of outside air conditions, which mechanism will be reliable but delicate in its operation and therefore peculiarly adapted for use in connection with vapor or low pressure steam systems.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for operating the furnace dampers or other draft regulating devices and for connecting these devices with their controlling mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in that type of regulating mechanism employing controlling mechanism in communication with a steam boiler, means whereby, should the pressure in the boiler, by accident or design, rise above a certain point, communication between the boiler and the controlling mechanism is automatically closed or cut oil", thereby confining this excess pressure to the boiler and preventing injury to said controlling mechanism. In carrying out'this object. of the invention provision has also been made whereby, when the pressure in the boiler again falls, com munication between the boiler and the controlling mechanism is automatically re-established or opened.

These and other objects of the invention, together with means whereby the same may be carried into effect, will best be understood from the following description of one form or embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the construction shown has been chosen for illustrative purposes merely, and that the invention may be embodied in many other forms without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus as a whole; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the controlling mechanism; Fig. 3 is a still further en larged elevation, partly broken away, of the float; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the connection between the chain leading from the controlling mechanism and the chain for operating the dampers; Fig. 5 is a. detail view of the check draft damper in the smoke pipe.

12 denotes a. steam boiler and 13 the furnace for heating said boiler, said furnace being provided with the usual ash pit door 14 having an air intake damper 15 and with a. smoke pipe 16 within which is a cut-ofi damper 17, said dampers constituting draft regulating devices for the furnace. The damper 17 is pivoted within the smoke pipe 16 by being secured to a spindle 18 which passes loosely through openings in the smoke pipe and is provided outside said pipe with an arm 19 having at its end a segment 20. Secured to and passing around the segment 20 is an operating chain or other flexible connector 21. The provision of the segment 20 and its relationship to the chain 21 causes equal pulls upon said chain to be communicated to the damper 17 with equal force and effect irrespective of the angular position of said damper. The chain 21 passes over a pulley 22, suitably supported, as by the ceiling of the furnace room, and is secured at its opposite end to the damper 15. By this arrangement the opening and closing movements of the dampers are in unison, 2'. a. when one is opening the other will be opening also, and vice versa, but the length of the chain 21 is such as to permit the damper 15 to be brought to rest in closed position without completely closing the damper 17. 23 denotes one or more counter weights carried by the chain 21 at a point removed from said damper 15 and bet-ween it and the pulley 22. The damper 15, in the construction shown, is so hung as to tend normally to close by gravity. The damper 17 on the other hand, bv reason of the position of the segment 20, will normally open by gravity. After the damper 15 is fully closed the weight 23, when permitted by the controlling mechanism, will close the damper 17 against the weight of the segment 20.

24 denotes a float chamber preferably pro- Vided with a gage glass 25. The float chamber is supported by and communicates at its bottom with a pipe 26 which connects with a second pipe 27 leading to the bottom of the boiler 12. The arrangement is such that, the water level in the boiler remaining constant, the level in the chamber 24 will vary in accondance with the vapor pressure in the boiler.

28 denotes a float within the chamber 24, said float preferably comprising a hollow, cylindrical body provided at its top with an open receptacle 29 in which may be placed shot or other suitable weights. In order to keep the float 28 in upright position and properly centered in the chamber 24 and to prevent friction or binding, spacing means are provided between the float and the walls of the chamber. In the construction shown such means comprise brackets 30 secured to the float, which brackets may, if desired, engage the inner surface of the wall of the float chamber directly, but which are preferably provided with rollers 31 engaging said surface. These brackets are preferably arranged in two series adjacent the top and bottom of the float, respectively, the brackets of one series preferably being staggered, circumferentially of the float, with respect to those of the other series as shown in Fig. 3, although if desired these brackets may be arranged in alinement with one another as shown in Fig. 2.

32 denotes an eye or other suitable means for the attachment of a chain or flexible connector 33 which passes over pulleys 34 and 35, suitably supported as from the ceiling of the furnace room, and is preferably adjustably connected to the chain 21, as by a hook 36 adapted to be engaged with any one of a plurality of links 44 carried by the chain 21. By these connections a rise or fall of the float 28 causes the dampers 15 and 17 to be closed or opened.

37 denotes a valve closing upwardly against a seat 38 in the pipe 26. The valve 37 is provided with a stem 39 which extends upwardly through an opening 40 in the float 28 and carries above said float a pin or other stop 41. Engagement of the float with the stop 41, when the pressure in the boiler arises to or above a certain point, causes the valve 37 to close against its seat, thereby shutting off communication between the boiler and float chamber.

42 denotes a pipe forming a bypass extending from the float chamber to the pipe 26 around the valve 37 and provided with a check valve 43 which permits flow through the pipe 42 away from the float chamber but prevents flow through said pipe toward said chamber. The opening of the check valve 43 and the flow through the pipe 42 is, as will be obvious, controlled by the boiler pressure.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The float chamber 24 is preferably so located with respect to the boiler '12 that when the water in the boiler is at its normal level and there is no steam pressure in said boiler, the water in the float chamber stands at a level approximately with the bottom of the gage glass 25, and the float 28 is at substantially its lowest point. The connections are such that at this time the dampers 15 and 17 are both wide open. Sufficient weights are placed in the receptacle 29 to counterbalance the weight or weights 23 and the resistance of the dampers 15 and 17. As the pressure in the boiler rises the float-rises in the float chamber, permitting the dampers gradually to close. WVhen the damper 15 is fully closed should the pressure in the boiler continue to rise, the weight 23 will continue to close the damper 17 After this damper is fully closed, thereby completely checking the draft of the furnace, if the steam pressure from any cause still continues to increase the float 28 is brought into engagement with the stop 41, thereby closing the valve 37. This closes communication between the float chamber and the boiler and confines the excess pressure to the boiler where it may be relieved by the usual safety valve or other means. lVhen the pressure again falls the water in the float chamber escapes through the by-pass 42, permitting the float 28 to descend and the valve 37 to open, thereby. again placing the controlling mechanism under the influence of the boiler. Continued falling of the boiler pressure causes, first, opening of the damper 17 and then opening of both dampers 15 and 17. In this manner the dampers, and consequently the draft of the furnace, are automatically controlled so as to keep the boiler at a substantially constant normal pressure. Should it be desired to vary this normal pressure the same may be done by adjusting the connection between the chains 21 and 33. To increase the pressure the hook 36 is engaged lower down on the chain 21, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby causing a greater rise of the float 28 to be required in order to produce the same effect upon the dampers.

While the controlling mechanism has been thus far described as being in communication with a boiler, which would be the case where the apparatus was used for regulating a steam boiler furnace, as in a steam heating system, this apparatus has been found to be equally useful in connection with hot water heating systems. When so used the float chamber is located at the highest part of the system, and the rise and fall of the level of the water therein is caused by expansion and contraction of the water in the system due to changes in temperature. Where, therefore, I have herein, for convenience,

employed the term boiler, I intend by this term to comprehend the corresponding and equivalent containers of hot water and other heating systems in which the water or other fluid is heated although not to the boiling point. It will also be understood that the utility of the apparatus is not limited to heating systems, but that it will be equally useful for regulating any furnace to which its various features are applicable.

Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination with a boiler and a furnace having one or more draft regulating devices, of cont-rolling mechanism for said devices including a chamber in communication with said boiler, automatic means for closing communication between said boiler and chamber when the pressure in said boiler rises above a certain point and for holding the same closed, and means controlled by the pressure in said boiler for releasing said holding means when said pressure falls below said point.

2. The combination wit-h a boiler and a furnace having one or more draft regulating devices, of controlling mechanism for said devices including a float chamber, a pipe connecting said chamber and boiler, a float in said chamber, a valve controlled by said float for closing said pipe, a by-pass extending around said valve, and a check valve in said by-pass.

3. The combination with a boiler and a furnace having one or more draft regulating devices, of controlling mechanism for said devices including a float chamber, a pipe connecting said chamber and boiler, a float in said chamber, a valve controlled by said float for closing said pipe when the pressure in said boiler rises above a certain point, and means controlled by the boiler pressure permitting flow from said chamber when said pressure falls below said point to cause said valve to open.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

MEADE F. HARRIS, MARGARET TILGHMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

